The Golden Age of classical Athens is one that many civilizations have admired and been influenced by for hundreds of years. Civilizations today are still employing different qualities of Athenian society into their own, “they have attempted to imitate this “Golden Age” of classical Athens in everything from buildings to literature” (Wiesner 53). The Athenians are seen “as the originators of democracy, drama, representational or realistic art, history, philosophy and science…Athens has continued to serve as a relevant source for answers to basic questions about human existence” (Wiesner 53). Classical Athens can be seen as one of the greatest civilizations and had a clear idea of what the ideal society, man and woman should be. …show more content…
According to Pericles, Athens “favours the many instead of the few; this is why it is called a democracy” (Wiesner 58). Society works together in one unit instead of leaving decisions to a small group. Discussion in Athens is seen not “as a stumbling block in the way of action,” it is seen as “an indispensable preliminary to any wise action at all” (Wiesner 59). Organization is a significant quality for this ideal civilization as well. Pericles states that in “Athens, we live as we please and yet are just as ready to encounter every legitimate danger” (Wiesner 58). In the views of Pericles, an ideal Athenian society must be one that works together and one that is well organized. Plato in The Republic, focuses on the men who form the government in Athens. Plato asks, “Must we not ask who are to be rulers and who subjects? There can be no doubt that the elder must rule the younger.” His companion agrees, and continues to agree when Plato states that “the best of these must rule.” Plato continues and asks his companion, “And as we are to have the best of guardians for our city, must they not be those who have most the character of guardians? Again, Plato’s companion agrees and it is concluded that “there must be a selection” (Wiesner 67, 68). Based on both the opinions of Pericles and Plato, and ideal society must be not only be efficient and unified, but one that employs only the best and most experienced citizens to govern
In comparing the Ancient Athenian system of government, and the Modern Day American political system, there are many similarities. In Ancient Athens, democracy was developed in response to a long history of oppressive rulers who used their position of power for their own benefit. Ancient Athenians sought a government where all citizens were considered equal under the eyes of the law, and all had a fair say in the running of their country. Following a series
Socrates and I grew up alongside the Athenian democracy, and experienced her vicissitudes in the past seventy years. We have both heard and experienced cycle of five types of governments that Socrates had mentioned. (Plato, Republic 8.547e) Our democracy was established hundreds years ago under Cleisthenes and turned to tyranny under Isagoras. In our childhood, Athens was a timarchy, and then Pericles ruled Athens with the
Throughout the centuries, civilizations have prospered and fallen with only their effects left on the world as their evidence of their existence. Ancient Greece is widely accepted as the most influential civilization ever, with the Golden Age of ancient Athens being its pinnacle. The Golden Age of Athens began when Athens became the most powerful Greek city-state, centralizing their power following their victory of the Greco-Persian wars.
...ely). This view not only helps to prove that Pericles' model is persuasive in showing the nature of democratic citizenship to be successful; it also serves to show that only to the least extent, in the light that Socrates supported some aspects of Athenian society, does he serve as a good example of citizenship. The model of Pericles that dealt with self-governing citizenship proved to be the guide that helped the Athenian democracy last as long as it did; and although Socrates did not wholeheartedly believe in those principles or meet all the criteria to become a good citizen in the eyes of Pericles, he undoubtedly helped to shape the deliberations of the day and set in motion the future of debate on philosophy, government, and the nature of man.
The community involvement began when democracy first developed in the early 7th century and furthered by Solon, who began reforming the Athenian justice system and organizing citizens by economic class. (10) Pericles pushed the envelope even further with the radical democracy of the Greek Golden Age, which emphasized direct democracy of the people by voting and selecting jurors to court cases randomly, giving more power to the poor classes and upsetting the elite. (11) However, with more freedom, came more responsibility. As Pericles himself said in his address to the Athenian people, "if a man takes no interest in public affairs, we alone do not commend him as quiet; but condemn him as useless." (12) To the Athenian people, participation in politics and law was not only important, but vital to government run by the people. Pericles even expounded on this by saying "action does not suffer from discussion but, rather, from the want of that instruction," (13) and "we have an exceptional gift of acting after calculating the prospects... whereas other men are bold from ignorance but hesitate upon reflection." (14) Athens was strong because the citizens needed to participate in their government and, in turn, needed to think critically about the decisions they made with each of their
Athenian government is democratic, and its citizens play a major role in shaping the government. Athenian ‘citizens’ are comprised only of adult males; women, children, metics, and slave...
Ancient Athens was, at first, rule aristocratically and this benefited a small group of elites. However, there began a major demand for political equality by the wealthy merchants and working class; therefore the aristocrats were forced to compromise or face a major civil war. The aristocrats gave political power to the people of Athens and this restored the power balance within the state. These events lead to the birth of democracy. In Manin’s The Principles of Representative Government, he discusses the creation of the assembly where people would come to vote on local political issues (Manin 11). Along with the assembly, they created mechanisms to avoid demagogues (ostracism and ‘graphe para nomo’) and a lottery system to choose political figures so there is equality among all citizens. Athens functioned and flourished on two core beliefs in the polis: “1. We all have an understanding of what is happening around us and fix it. 2. No one person can take away our right to govern” (Breaugh). Everyone has the ability to rule and must rule, was an essential part of the polis. Additionally, every citizen was equal to one another, within the polis. In the lecture, Breaugh mentioned, “the community would help to define you as a citizen, and the citizen helps define the community” (Breaugh). Political participation was believed to be a vital part of every man’s self-development and, most importantly,
During the age of Pericles, the ideal form of government was believed to be a government formed by all of the citizens regardless of wealth or social standing. This was known as democracy, literally meaning “ government of the people” [Document 3.] This government favored the many instead of the few. Athens was a direct democracy, meaning every citizen participated in debates. Western civilization used this philosophy of government by many, and created an indirect democracy where citizens elect officials to make and enforce laws.
In this paper I will argue that, Plato’s Republic is a defense of authoritarian political hierarchy because it incorporates the idea of a strict central government within a city. Three ways this is shown in The Republic are with the ideas of, the principle of specialization, the myth of medals, and the definition of justice. To have political justice, you first need the city to be ordered properly. Guardians are the rules, hence they are the wisest.
The march towards developing a democratic society is often obstructed with societal unrest due to the influence of the status quo on the instruments of power. Before the rule of Solon, Athens underwent this same rule, as there was much discontent among the social classes in Athens. The society suffered financial disparity that often was the trigger for the war among the rich and poor in the society. This was a major factor that forced Solon into power to institute policies that would see a reformed Athens. By so doing, the society was looking for an avenue that would guarantee democracy and a society that is fair for everyone. The city-state of Athens was the epicenter of the revolution for the Athenian democracy during the fifth century BC. In the Athenian democracy, the electorate voted for the legislation of bills instead of a direct democracy where the electorates are tasked with electing representatives who later developed the bill. Among the first people who made significant contributions to the development of the Athenian democracy were Solon (594 BC), Cleisthenes (508/7 BC), Pericles (495 – 429 BC) and Ephialtes (462 BC). Pericles was the longest serving democratic leader who contributed much development in democracy in the city. This paper will give an account of the age of the Pericles.
In 400 B.C, The Athenian civilization experienced a golden age. The Athens experienced a great amount of peace and prosperity due to their contact and trade with others, and rare warring. During this time, ideas and philosophies were produced. These ideas influenced western civilizations in the areas of politics, science, art and architecture.
Plato defines Athens as a democratic society that “treats all men as equal, whether they are equal or not.” Therefore, believes that there are those that are born to rule and others that are born to be ruled. Plato presents the argument that democracy does not achieve the greatest good, giving four main objections to democracy. Firstly, he identifies that most of us are ruled by passions, pleasure, sentiment and impulse. Hence, th...
Plato and Aristotle’s philosophies on the best governments are complex though it is possible to separate their opinions and lay out their cities so that it is understandable through topics that they both touch on greatly. Aristotle and Plato considered the different types of government that existed in their time periods and dissected them to understand which ones were the best. From their understanding, they separately decided on the best...
Plato was a well-known Greek philosopher who created foundational principles on subjects such as government, education, and citizenship. The Republic, arguably one of Plato’s most influential works, is depicted through many dialogues between his fellow philosopher Socrates and other characters who discuss a political theory for a model state. The Republic’s goal strives to demonstrate an ideal city-state must possess and hints at Plato’s ulterior motive to expose Athens as a city in chaos rather than one in order. Plato views on government offers no fondness for democracy due to the fact that he believed not all members of society are capable of making just decisions and succumb to corrupt desires. Instead
Plato's Vision Of The Ideal State As Presented In The Republic The concept of questioning meaning of life, the universe and everything has become debauched in modern society. But there is an exigency for and a value in the procedure of reasoning through aspects of our experience beginning with moral principles to existence. It can, for ordinary peoples as much as for professional philosophers, enlivening, vivid, and developmental. Plato is one of the most influential thinkers in human history. His philosophies have made a far-reaching impact on the human societies and have laid the foundation of many avenues of knowledge. While discussing several important virtues of an ideal society, Plato have very seriously considered the concept of democracy. Everybody has contrasted beliefs and their answers to these worldview questions are distinct. Plato considers as true that wisdom is achievable by human beings, even though there is some doubt whether or not Plato himself ever purported to have it. Plato, like his master Socrates, was essentially a seeker, a rationalistic thinker, rather than a system-builder who hypothesized that he had all the answers. It should be noted that Plato’s argument for the intrinsic weakness of democracy or the lack of an ideal state in The Republic should be elucidated as to what is meant by democracy in this context. By democracy in a state Plato is not referring to modern democracy, which he would have perceived as alien. Nor is he referring to the democracy of Athens in this argument. In this argument, Plato characterizes democracy as being the highest of popular liberty, where slaves both male and female have the same liberty as their owners and where there is comprehensive impartiality and liberty in t...